Arne Slot makes dramatic call to DROP Mohamed Salah - as Liverpool attempt to reverse their dismal form against West Ham

Arne Slot has listened to fans and shook up his team with Mohamed Salah dropping to the bench for Liverpool’s trip to West Ham.

The Reds have lost nine of their last 12 games and slumped to the bottom half of the Premier League table.

And Slot has come under pressure to try to get Liverpool out of their bad run, with fans complaining about his team selections.

Now he has changed things up, though, with Salah left out of the XI and Joe Gomez getting a first Premier League start of the season.

Alexander Isak is starting with Florian Wirtz also coming into the team having missed the last two games through injury.

Milos Kerkez retains his place at left back, while all three of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch are playing.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate keep their sports at centre-back, with Gomez starting on the right with Szoboszlai moving forward into midfield in place of Curtis Jones.

Gomez's last start in the Premier League was, incidentally, in this fixture last season when Liverpool thrashed West Ham 5-0, though he had to come off injured in the 37th minute. 

Alisson starts in goal, replacing Giorgi Mamardashvili who conceded four in midweek against PSV. 

The decision to drop Salah is a gargantuan decision but not unmerited after the £400,000-per-week 33-year-old has struggled for form.

Salah has not scored or assisted in his last four games and has been criticised for his lack of defensive contribution - a hard load to carry if he is not adding outstanding numbers at the other end. 

Slot told Sky Sports: 'We played four games in 10 days. I have many good players so today I chose a different line-up. Sometimes Alex is on the bench, sometimes Florian. It's about the players on the pitch. It's the 11 I chose. 

'I have more than 11 good players and it's not the first time I've chosen not to play Mo.'

Liverpool will be hoping a clash with the struggling Hammers is the perfect opportunity to turn around their dire recent form. 

But West Ham are unbeaten in their last three and have won their two most recent Premier League games at home against Burnley and Newcastle. 

They will hold a moment of recognition for club legend Billy Bonds ahead of the game after he died aged 79, it emerged on Sunday morning.